There are many times where a motorist will need insurance for an automobile but not for an entire year. Instead of having to pay for a year and then barely use the vehicle, it is possible to arrange temporary cover in the form of short term car insurance. This flexible type of cover can last from just 1 day through to 28 days on a comprehensive basis with extras like European cover available with most providers.
No Claims Discount
One of the major benefits of short-termcover is the fact that it does not impact your No Claims Discount (NCD). If you were to add a driver to your annual policy and they were to make a claim, you could lose your NCD after years of claim free motoring. This is because these policies are standalone and separate to any annual policy.
Uses
Short term car insurance can come in handy in many cases, but here are a few of the most common uses.
- Borrowing a car
- Test drive
- Adding a temporary additional driver
- Business trip
- Sharing driving on a road trip
- Driving a bigger vehicle to help someone move
- Gap between annual policies
- Returned home from university
- Visiting from overseas
Fast Coverage
These are just a few examples, but there are many other situations in modern life where a motorist will require the use of a car that they are not insured on. Often, these situations are last minute but short-term insurance can be arranged in as little as 15 minutes with some providers. Most drivers and vehicles will be covered and even those with non-UK licenses can purchase coverage (provided they have held a license for at least 6 months).
How to Arrange Cover
To obtain temporary car insurance, the motorist will need to provide basic information along with the vehicle registration number, dates of cover, add-ons, driving license number (and passport number for non-UK holders) and payment details. Once the acceptance criteria have been met, the certificate is usually emailed within 15 minutes. This is unlike attempting to add an additional driver for a short period to an annual policy, which is a lengthy and stressful process which will depend on many different factors.
There is also flexibility when it comes to the vehicles to be insured and the dates of cover, which is helpful in modern life where motorists sometimes quickly need cover for a car that they are not insured on.